God Issues: Satan is a great economist

InformedFaith.com  |  Subscribe or change your address here		By Dr. James C. Denison President, The Center for Informed Faith, Dallas, Texas June 25, 2009 Topic: sexual morality Satan is a great economist It's the stuff of soap operas and late-night monologues. As you have probably seen in the news, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford went missing from the capitol for six days. Two days ago, his office claimed that the governor was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Today's Wall Street Journal tells us what really happened: Mr. Sanford went to Argentina to visit a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair. Now his political future is uncertain at best. Here’s a prediction: sexual sin will be in the news again tomorrow. And next week. And the week after. According to a recent anonymous survey, 53% of Americans say they would have an affair if given the chance. 92% of sexually active people say they have had ten or more partners in their lives. What does God think of our sexual ethics? Colossians 3:5: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 adds: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus articulated the purest standard to be found in all of literature: "I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). Why is sexual immorality wrong? First, it destroys the family. Dr. Frank Pittman, an internationally renowned expert on sexuality and marriage, reported in The New York Times that in 37 years of practice as a therapist, he has encountered only two cases of first marriages ending in divorce where adultery was not involved. Of those who break up their marriages to marry someone else, 80% are sorry later. Only 10% actually marry the person with whom they had an affair, and 70% of those who do later get another divorce. Second, sexual impurity destroys our witness. The only credibility for a Christian is his or her character. If that is ruined, our witness and ministry are ruined. And Satan knows this, for he is a great economist. If he can persuade us to sin sexually, even one time, he knows that our witness and ministry will be ruined, perhaps forever. Do you suppose it's a coincidence that the great failures among prominent ministers in recent years have been sexual in nature? What do we do to affair-proof our marriages and souls? Let's continue our conversation tomorrow.
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